It is not always easy to step out of what most people consider the correct path strive against the stream. The virtual security it seems to offer is hard to let go of, but at the same time, if you are not happy and not in the right place, you are prone for burn-out and already know you will be unhappy. But still you might get a good pension, maybe. And then you die from heart-attack or stroke or drug abuse before you are 65 years old.
Walking around a medium sized German city, I came across a co-working space which looked much like a hip coffee place. The wooden furniture was simple and basic and slightly chaotically arranged but the shiny light bulbs and small plants and flower pots made for a light and inspiring atmosphere. You could see work being done. Big windows were lined with printed A4-sized sheets of paper, each with some motivational saying, some with a cartoon, all obviously meant to keep the spirit of freelancers up and rising.
One stuck to my mind. I will never forget. It went right to my heart. In German it said “Auch ein Hamsterrad sieht von innen aus wie eine Karriereleiter”, which could be translated to English as “The inside of the hamster’s wheel looks like a career ladder too”. It struck me so hard, I knew I had to do something. Not only was this place a much more appealing working area than a hospital room, I really felt like inside a wheel that was turning and tumbling me around and I lacked any sense of control. This leads to burn-out. Watch Charly Chaplin in the factory if you still don’t feel what I mean.
Anyway, it is hard to listen to yourself, find your talents and ignore what other people might expect from you. You can try and read Nietzsche and other existential philosophers, but it probably won’t make you any happier than this. Take some time to stand still and focus the mind on yourself. You don’t always have to travel far. Sometimes a walk can be a good refreshment. Or you can take a course with a much less depressed philosopher instead.
I found myself with a friend in a class room soon after my enlightening walk. In Rotterdam, the school of life offered a course “How to find the job you love“. It was located on top of an old office building with a rooftop terrace and closely looked like the co-working space from earlier. The room had an improvised bar, serving drinks and cake and free water flavoured with mint leaves. Some chairs were arranged facing the screen and approximately 20 people were shyly trying to avoid talking to each other. If you were here, you were naturally not happy with your job, usually at least slightly depressed and that is not widely accepted on diner parties.
The intro of the lecturer made everyone a lot more comfortable. He had been in the same position as well. Son of a priest, he studied theology and philosophy and had a very hard time striving against the religious background. He had some very good insights, namely that you have to look for what job fits to you. Not how you can fit into the job. Look for what your talents are and your values in life. Think about, which tasks bring you into an easy flow, where you do not have to fight to stay focused.
This course is certainly not the ultimate solution, but it can be a step into the good direction or even make you feel like, it is not generally bad to be a doctor, but the field is not right. And even though your dad and grand-dad were amazing and famous cardiac surgeons, does not mean, you have to dedicate your happiness to it.
Look at the course section for more links and information. The school of life is based in several cities around the globe. They also offer other kind of courses to “how to find fulfilling work, how to master the art of relationships, how to understand one’s past, how to achieve calm and how better to understand, and where necessary change, the world.”
In the meantime they also publish books on the topic, e.g. “How to find fulfilling work”.
